atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums General Telecom News Avaya considers buyout

Story here

Source: AP via Houston Cronicle

And here.

https://news.com.com/Avaya+reportedly+exploring+a+sale/2100-1036_3-6187036.html?tag=nefd.top

I guess if a merger goes through, the Partner ACS could be retired sooner than 2010.

After the sale, there won't be any independent companies left from the breakup of Ma Bell (excluding the 90% reconstituted at&t).

Why in the world can a company the size of Avaya who is a market leader with a house hold name and reputation not make it in the market?

We have been an ATT/Lucent/Avaya shop for 14 years. I'd hate to see the change, especially to a die hard competitor. Having a variety of vendor options is best for the market place and best for the customer! This is the first I've heard about this and the whole thing does not make me happy!

I know that Avaya has been on a phone calling campaign trying to drum up more business out of it's current customers. Avaya handed us off to Authorized Business Partners yet lately have been calling asking if they can assist the BP by helping us directly. Hmmm... I'm sure times are tough but if they'd bring some pricing down, companies like mine would buy more bells and whistles.

Please keep this thread posted if you hear anything else. Thanks! Rhonda

Well Rhonda, the only thing I can tell you is what the old AT&T told me many years ago when they were abandoning market share. I was told it wasn't because they weren't making money, they just weren't making enough money. I chalk it up to corporate greed, (meaning those at the top) but I may be wrong.

True. It's all about the dollars and cents. Not that they aren't making them. They just aren't making enough to keep the investors happy during these turbulent "merger/accquisition mania" times. Most investors aren't greedy people, just retirees or folks just trying to make some extra money to offset their living expenses.

When AT&T was broken up through the divestiture, AT&T's stock was worth, well let's just say $300.00 per share. Investors were offered the option to transfer their existing shares to one company or the many others that were part of AT&T. They could split their existing stock value to several different Bell spin-offs and most did just that.

Many stayed with AT&T, but when they spun off the equipment division to Lucent, people again were offered the opportunity to transfer some or all of their stock over there. Then when Lucent spun off Avaya, many did the same thing. Now, Avaya isn't able to produce the returns that Ma Bell did thirty years ago and none of them are earning the original value. I have not looked recently, but I am confident that Avaya isn't trading for the original $300.00 per share, so Avaya has to do whatever it takes to keep investors from pulling their cash out.

The bottom line is that AT&T is no longer the massive company that it was, so investors had to transfer their pre-divestiture investments to the appropriate Bell company or equipment spin-off company that appeared to be the most healthy. There were over a dozen to choose from; Indiana Bell, Bell of PA, you name it. That was a job for the stock brokers and some people ended up losing fortunes as a result by picking the wrong one.

The investors are seeking other places to invest their money to get better dividends. This means that Avaya shareholders are cashing out and investing in Avaya's competitors. The stock market is brutal and doesn't leave much room for anyone with a heart or patience. It's all about the Ben Franklins.

So, what do you all think would happen, if say...Cisco was to aquire Avaya?

I cannot even think about that scenario... but I am interested in what would happen. I'm just about to upgrade my Avaya and this will make a difference whether I go for 24, 36 or 48 month contract terms. I also wonder what would happen to all of the Business Partners that Avaya has contracted with.

Maybe it's just my unwillingness to change so often but I sure wish some part of the market would stay stable for more then a couple years at a time.

Rhonda, Check out Mitel. (I'm assuming you are using a Definity, or whatever they've renamed it) John C.

Rhonda, why not use a third party company for the maintenance contract? WMA, offers the same monitoring that Avaya uses...just a thought...maybe a reason for a new topic...

And how many stations? We have been coming across MANY systems that Avaya sold, for 40-50 users, and threw in a Definity. We have sold them IPO, because the price on a new IPO, is cheaper per month than they are paying in Maint.

That is interesting.....................thanks Bill for the link.

AT&T/Lucent/Avaya it's always been the same, they have constantly been in the red type company. They take it till its too bad and then sell it, roll it into something else. I was part of Expanets who acquired Lucent Gem division and they screwed up trying to adapt to Lucents ways. It will always be that way as long as you keep a centralized call center and a centralized warehouse and a decentralized sales staff. They're like the Entergize Bunny....somehow they just keep on going.

3rd generation mentality sinks corporate America every time.....

I wouldn't worry to much all you Avaya People. Like toshiba BOB said it was ATT 15 years ago, then Lucent 10 years they change to Avaya 5 years ago next year it will be God knows what.
(don't quote me on the years. You know what I mean)
It will always be around.

Yeah, they'll be around forever, kinda like DIRT. It's interesting how something that is seldom state-of-the-art, let alone leading-edge, can keep on keeping on! Nothing like a legacy that goes back 3 generations to keep you in business! YES, I'M JEALOUS! John C.

Well, it's been announced that Silver Lake Partners will be the new owner of Avaya...
https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=auTbQgdCmA5Y&refer=home

Mike

Does anyone think they'll be an overt changes to the company and for the customer once this happens?

Well, most of the time when these mergers and buyouts occur, it's with the promise that things won't change for the customers. This is usually the case when an existing company is doing things well and isn't in need of a new direction.

This is what was promised with the Vertical/Vodavi accquisition. Vodavi had fantastic management and support, but was lacking in R&D dollars, so Vertical filled that gap. Vodavi was entirely dependent upon the R&D being done by LG for much of this part of the business. This limited Vodavi's offerings. The promise of no changes was quickly rescinded by Vertical. There have been major changes. So far, they have been in a positive direction, but somewhat inconvenient for the dealers since doing business with Vodavi has changed dramatically.

When Vertical accquired Comdial, the company was in serious need of a forklift upgrade. Comdial needed additional money, management and expertise. This was probably what saved Comdial's neck.

Since Silver Lake Partners are more of a financial support arm, I don't think that Avaya customers will see much of a change. Their dealers will probably be most-effected through consolidation efforts. There will probably be some job losses and outsourcing so that the company can save money, but hopefully this won't impact the end users. I would imagine that some of Avaya's older product lines will be eliminated at a faster pace than Avaya had originally planned.

I would think that if Nortel or Cisco had purchased Avaya, the changes would have been much more widespread. The accquisition by Silver Lakes may end up being the best thing for Avaya's dealers AND end users.

Only time will tell.

It sounds like the Partner ACS might be mothballed sooner than 2010.

It looks to be official. Avaya has been sold.

https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aoIc31YtRIPo

Yeah, that's the link that Mike posted earlier.

Thanks for the input Mr. Ed. I also expect the BP may have more issues then the end users as well. I'll have to check with my BP on the subject. I just hope they don't force upgrades more often the Avaya as they get quite costly for companies such as ours. My other choice would be to pull my system out and find a new system... which doesn't sound too desirable.

I hope that Avaya contacts it's customer base to at least tell us of the buyout. That would be the respectable thing to do anyway.

I guess I'll have to keep my ears open. Thanks again! Rhonda

No need to get rid of the definity. The platform is older that me will will probably be around forever.

But if Silver Lake Partners is nothing more than an investment group, why would the predicted fate of Avaya be any different than that of Comdial? Vertical is an investment group. Sooner or later they're going to acquire enough worth to sell to the highest bidder. That's when I expect someone (Vertical or Avaya) to sell out to the dark side.

I was kinda hoping the Avaya thing would turn out to be Vertical's next purchase! What a name they would have then.

Unlike Cisco, Avaya is saddled with older, traditional phone systems, which have seen declining sales as clients upgrade to faster Web equipment.

Faster web equipment? :shrug:

Found this on another board. Thought I would share.

To the employees of Avaya,


Today we took another important step in our history.

We just announced that we have entered into a definitive merger
agreement with Silver Lake and TPG Capital, two of the world's
preeminent private equity companies for approximately $8.2 billion or
$17.50 per share of Avaya common stock, representing a significant
premium over trading values prior to rumors about a transaction.

In addition to providing compelling returns for shareholders, this
transaction delivers clear value for our employees and customers. Going
private creates an environment for Avaya and its employees to accelerate
the execution of our strategy. It provides an opportunity to extend our
technology and services leadership and powerfully advance our ability to
deliver the "gold standard" of solutions to our customers.

We are playing to win. While this is a big step, most things will not
change for our company. We are more confident than ever that our three
priorities - strategy, execution and culture - are right on target:

1. Strategy - "play to win," move up the value stack;

2. Execution - get ourselves into fighting shape;

3. Culture - create a thrilling and rewarding work environment.

We have made enormous progress in each of these areas, thanks to the
tireless effort and commitment of the Avaya team.

We now have two new, outstanding partners: Silver Lake and TPG. They are
completely aligned with our strategy and mission. Both firms bring a
breadth of resources, investments, and insight into the communications
and software industries. Furthermore, they have outstanding track
records in working with the management teams of technology companies to
deliver outstanding results.

In the press release issued today, David Roux, co-founder and managing
director of Silver Lake, said, "Our interests are aligned with the
long-term interests of Avaya's customers and employees ... to build on
the company's remarkable technology and history, which spans more than a
century, to develop advanced IP communications solutions as a source of
competitive advantage for customers."

John Marren, a partner at TPG, said, "As one of the earliest private
investors in technology and telecommunications, TPG has come to know and
admire Avaya for its roster of leading customers, history of product
innovation and commitment to customer service. We look forward to
working with our partners at Silver Lake and Avaya's excellent team to
continue to build this exciting franchise."

It's an exciting time for the Avaya team and its customers. We expect
the transaction to close in the fall of 2007, subject to receipt of
shareholder approval and customary regulatory approvals and closing
conditions.

I look forward to discussing today's announcement with you in greater
detail. We will hold an all-employee call on Tuesday June 5 at 10:30
a.m. ET. Please watch for further information.


Thank you.

Louis J. D'Ambrosio
President and CEO

I received this via email...

Dear Rhonda,

It is with great enthusiasm that I share with you an announcement Avaya made to enter into a definitive merger agreement with Silver Lake Partners and TPG. We believe this partnership will deliver compelling benefits to our customers. In going private -- with the long-term investment horizon -- we will be able to extend Avaya's technology leadership and lead the transition to software based IP Communication solutions and services. You could expect the same strategy, the same mission, with accelerated execution.

Silver Lake and TPG have invested in many industry-leading technology firms and have an excellent track record aligned with customers' long-term objectives. "Our interests are aligned with the long-term interests of Avaya's customers" said David Roux, co-founder and managing director of Silver Lake.

Nick Lippis of Lippis Enterprises, an industry consultancy, writes, "Avaya customers will be rewarded by Avaya's ability to further invest in the Avaya platform of Intelligent Communications."

Zeus Kerravala, SVP of enterprise research for Yankee Group, concludes "Customers will be the net winners."

It is an exciting time in our industry, with the convergence of voice and data technologies. Our mission is to continue to deliver the "gold standard" of communications solutions and translate them into extraordinary value for you and your organization. We take nothing for granted and will continue to dedicate our entire company to earn the trust you have placed in us.

We look forward to continuing our long and rewarding relationship.

Sincerely,

Lou

Louis J. D'Ambrosio
CEO and President
Avaya Inc
211 Mount Airy Road
Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 USA

Let's see now .......

To set the scene, envision a grimy used car lot, a lean fellow with a plaid sports coat, a thin mustache, and oily, slicked back hair and a large cigar......

"This is the real deal, just for you ---- Trust me!"

'Nuff said.